Builder Defends Proposed Inverrary Rental Complex

LAUDERHILL — Faced with 200 irritated Inverrary-area residents, the builders of a proposed rental housing project fielded questions and barbs about their development.

The 272-unit complex, called Waterford Park, is proposed for the outskirts of Inverrary on Northwest 44th Street about one block east of University Drive.

``It`s not like you are dealing with a flakeball developer who`s only got two dollars in his pocket,`` said Ian Ekholm, of Guaranty Service Corp., the developer of Waterford Park.

Plans for the development, which would cost an estimated $13 million, have been rejected by the city`s Planning and Zoning Board. The developer has appealed the board`s decision to the City Council.

Last week, residents stormed into a council meeting shouting their opposition to the development. To try to appease the angry residents, Ekholm arranged a Monday meeting at the Tamarac Holiday Inn to answer questions and field complaints about the development.

``I think it stinks because they are preying on the Inverrary property values,`` said resident Stuart Delafuente, a single-family homeowner. ``They are building a low-rent, high-quality slum.``

Many of the homes near the proposed complex sell for $100,000 and up.

Other residents fired off insults at the developers, saying that other developments by Guaranty Service Corp. look like barracks.

``We are trying to design something that people may perceive as not to the quality of the neighborhood, but this is a very nice quality job,`` Ekholm said.

The apartments and townhouses on the 22-acre development would sit around a lake. A four-foot landscaped berm would surround the property, to visually shield the complex from nearby homes, Ekholm said.

Some of the objections were that the project would be open to renters. Several residents said renters would detract from the neighborhood.

Ekholm said restrictions on renters would protect the quality of the project. Renters would be given lease options that would give the tenant an opportunity to purchase the residence, Ekholm said.

A depressed housing market has led to slow sales of apartments and condominiums, which is why Waterford Park would be open to renters, Ekholm said.

To placate the residents, Ekholm said, some consideration would be given to building larger units to make them more appealing for sales.

The development is scheduled for consideration by the City Council at its Monday meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, 2100 NW 55th Ave.